Official Texans @ Giants Game Thread, 9/21/2014

[Arky]

The Texans are traveling up to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ to take on the Giants this Sunday in an early game. The 2-0 Texans have been doing a good job so far of avoiding the "big errors". Will this continue?

The 0-2 NY Giants have a streak dating back to last year of 5 straight games with 4+ turnovers. Last year the Giants started the season 0-6. Does Tom Coughlin have any hair left on his head? Will the Texans avoid looking like the doofusses (doofi?) this time and make the Giants look like a well-oiled machine?

Texans rated #14 this week in the ESPN power rankings - up from #22 last week. Giants rated #30, previously #26.

TV = CBS (channel 11 local), Sunday, Sept 21, noon CST

Announcers = Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

The line: Texans by 1 to 2.5

[WMH]

If you get a chance, look at BOB's presser from earlier this week regarding this being a "Trap" game. Pretty funny stuff.

[Arky]

Originally Posted by Arky

The 0-2 NY Giants have a streak dating back to last year of 5 straight games with 4+ turnovers.

This is incorrect. I got it from the comment next to the Giants in the power rankings linked above. I checked into it and it's wrong.

If you can trust the ESPN stats, more correct statements would be:

1. The Giants have had at least 2 turnovers/gm for the last six games.

2. The Giants have averaged 3.17 turnovers/gm for the last six games.

3. The Giants had 4 turnovers last week and 2 turnovers in Week 1. The last four games of 2013, the Giants had 3, 2, 5 and 3 turnovers in those games.

[HPF Bob]

This is an interesting matchup because we really don't know yet who the Texans are and we really don't know who the Giants are. I got to watch some of the Giants-Cardinals game last Sunday but was not all that impressed. IMO, the key will be pressuring Eli Manning into mistakes. He has the weapons to make it a long day for Houston if he's not being harrassed. However, the Giants' OL was terrible last year and does not seem much improved this year. It could have made for a nice "statement" game for Clowney but, alas, he won't be involved. If we see a lot of Reed and Mercilus in the backfield, that's a good sign.

Offensively, the Texans will continue to showcase Arian Foster running the ball to set up Fitzpatrick's short throws to Johnson and Hopkins. In the first two games, Houston achieved great balance between run and pass. New York's defense ought to be better than Washington's and Oakland's so that strategy will be put to the test. If Foster gets off to a fast start, the flow of the game will favor Houston. If we see a lot of Shane Lechler, that's a bad sign.

Historically, the Texans are terrible when playing in the Northeast. Were it in Houston, I'd like the Texans but, on the road, I think the Giants will prevail late on a bad call or a fluky play. Say, 17-16.

[barrett]

What weapons do you think Eli has? Victor Cruz is the only skill guy on the roster who could start for a decent team. The rest of their WR core is totally unproven and average, their TEs are no-names (even though Donnell has at least caught it the last 2 weeks), and they can't run the ball (the starter is Jennings, the former Jags and Raiders backup). This is not a team with weapons.

I also don't think New York's D is better than Washington's. Washington held us to 10 on offense and then held JAX to 1o points and under 150 yards while recording 10 sacks. Meanwhile NY got beat by Drew Stanton who hadn't thrown a pass since 2011.

This Giants team is terrible. We can definitely lose this game, but if we do it will be all about our issues, not because NY is better than the teams we've faced.

[Blitzwood]

I see the texans winning, and winning big.
I expect AJ to finally find the end zone.
I expect the defense to look even better than they have.

28-14

[Arky]

The sharps are pounding the Giants. The Giants are now the favorite by 1 to 2 points.